1947-2014 (Archived)

The day after the mystery death of a 3-year-old Indian in Melbourne. The police are investigating all angles and are not ruling out the possibility that the child was poisoned and will now be conducting toxicology tests. Eye witnesses are also being probed.

At a time when Australia has promised to do all that it can to stop attacks on Indian nationals, comes news of the death of a 3-year-old child who, quite possibly, was murdered. Gurshan Singh had vanished from his home in a Melbourne suburb. His body was found 6 hours later.

It's a tragedy beyond words for his parents. "I am not in a condition to speak," says Gurshan Singh's father, Harjit Singh.

But there's a larger concern, for two countries, trying to stabilise relations that have come under immense strain after a series of attacks on Indians.

"We were not given the appropriate details explaining how the death of the boy happened. Parents were not allowed to see the body," said External Affairs Minister SM Krishna.

Commenting on the incident, Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd said, "The death of any little child causes everyone in this country to stop, pause, think, reflect. If this is a case of murder there is nothing worse than the brutal murder of a little child." (Read: Krishna, Rudd react to Indian toddler's death)

The Australian Prime Minister stepped in shortly after the police confirmed that little Gurshan was murdered.

His body was discovered in the grassland near the Melbourne airport on Thursday night.

"I just urge people not to speculate on what may or may not have occurred. It's very early days in our investigation and we are treating the circumstances as suspicious," said Detective Inspector Steve Clark, Victoria Police.

Facts unclear, relations already strained, but authorities have appealed for calm. The world will only know after facts of the case come out.

PTI adds:

The Union government has assured all kind of support to the toddler's family to bring back the body from Australia.

"The Government of India feels it is a very-very sad and a tragic event and it has been echoed by the Australian Prime Minister himself. They have assured us and Mr Krishna, who raised the issue, that the perpetrators would be brought to book," Minister of State for External Affairs Preneet Kaur told reporters in New Delhi.

"Assurance has been given to Gurshan's family that all the help and assistance would be provided to bring back the body," she said on the sidelines of a function ahead of the International Women's day celebrations in New Delhi.

The 23-year-old Indian, charged for the death of a three-year-old boy, kept him unconscious in the boot of his car and drove around for at least three hours before dumping the child in a field north of Melbourne, police said on Sunday.

Dhillon Gursewak, who stayed in the house of Gurshan Singh Channa’s parents, “placed the child in the boot of his car unconscious but still alive”, Ron Iddles, Senior Sergeant of the homicide squad, was quoted as saying by the Australian Associated Press (AAP).

“He then drove up to at least three hours with the child in the boot of the car, eventually stopping at Oaklands Junction, where he placed the child from the boot into the grass and did not check to see if the child was alive, then returned to 28, David Street, Lalor,” Mr. Iddles said.

Gursewak was arrested on Sunday from his friend’s house in Melbourne’s north.

Mr. Iddles, however, did not say how the three-year-old boy became unconscious.

Gursewak appeared before the hearing dressed in a white polo shirt, black tracksuit pants and brown thongs and was calm throughout the hearing. He referred to the dead boy as “the kid... the kid that died” when asked who lived with him at the David Street address.

Gursewak, a part-time taxi driver who just bought a small truck and was due to start full-time work with a courier company on Wednesday, lived in Lalor with his wife. He has a daughter, who is living in India.

Gursewak applied for bail, offering to leave his passport and driver’s licence, saying that he could stay at the Mill Park house where he was arrested.

Mr. Iddles said police had spoken with the Gursewak’s friend and were told that “because of the events that transpired today he is no longer welcome there”.

Gursewak then gave the phone number of another friend, a man with whom he plays cricket and who lives in nearby Epping. He said his friend would be happy to take him in as long as the media was kept away from the man’s house.

Squad Detective Inspector Steve Clark tried the number, but found it to be out of service.

First bail justice Ben Czerniewicz then remanded Gursewak in custody amid concerns that he posed an unacceptable flight risk and could also tamper with witnesses in the case.

Gursewak is due to appear in the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday.
Mr. Iddles said police opposed Gursewak’s bail because he had few ties to Australia and was under investigation by immigration officials over allegations that his passport may be forged.

1947-2014 (Archived)

A 23-year-old, part-time Indian taxi driver, who kept a three-year-old Indian boy unconscious in the boot of his car and drove around for three hours before dumping him in a field, was arrested on Sunday and charged with the death of the toddler.

The parents of three-year-old Gurshan Singh, whose body was found in grassland behind Melbourne airport, have thanked the Victorian people and police for their response to the tragedy.

An Indian national, Gursewak Dhillon, 23, who shared a house in Lalor with the victim and his family, was arrested on Sunday night and charged over the boy’s death.

Police denied reports that Dhillon’s wife has also been arrested. An autopsy has so far not determined the cause of death. The boy’s body was found on Thursday.

Darebin Councillor Tim Singh Laurence, speaking on behalf of Gurshan’s parents, Harjit Singh and his wife Harpreet Kaur, said they were grateful for the efforts of the Victorian community and the police in “progressing the case very quickly”.

He said they wanted to take possession of their son’s body as soon as possible and return to India for funeral.

“We are anticipating that Gurshan’s body will be available on Tuesday,” news.com.au quoted Laurence, as saying.

MELBOURNE: Part-time taxi driver Gursewak Dhillon apparently ran out
of fuel and was helped by a woman in this Australian city while he
was driving around with three-year-old Gurshan Singh Channa in the
boot of his car, the police said.

Police intend to speak with the woman they believe stopped to help
Dhillon between 12 p.m. and 3 p.m. Thursday, Australian news agency
AAP reported.

Dhillon is alleged to have placed the child in the boot of his car
unconscious, but still alive.

Gurshan's body was found on Wildwood Road Thursday night after a
massive search following a complaint by his parents who were staying
in Lalor, over 20 km away.

Officials believe the woman helped Dhillon who was driving a dark
green car somewhere in Melbourne's northern suburbs. She took him to
a service station.

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SPNer

I'm from Australia, and all I can say is that this has been making front-page newspaper headlines for many days now. Australians have been following this on a daily basis, and are heartbroken at the innocent life that has been lost.

Teary-eyed Harjit Singh Channa, the toddler’s father and his wife Harpreet Kaur Channa were comforted by relatives at the airport here after they arrived on a Thai Airways flight from Melbourne along with the body, airport official said.

Gurshan went missing from his home in Melbourne on March 4 and his body was later found dumped its northern suburbs.

Singh said he got all support and assistance from the Australian police and the government.

“The body would be taken to Faridkot in Punjab and the last rites are likely to take place on Monday,” a relative of Channa family said.

Gursewak Dhillon, 23, a resident of the Lalor home where the boy and his parents were also staying, has been charged with manslaughter by criminal negligence over the child’s death. He claims that he accidentally knocked the boy down before dumping him 20 kms away from his residence.

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